FREEDOMWORKS 05/10/2015

Ohio Budget Defunds Common Core Testing - by Logan Albright  The Buckeye state is fighting back against the intrusive federal testing mandates that come with Common Core education standards. A House version of the state’s budget contains provisions defunding and blocking the use of PARCC, the set of Common Core aligned assessments that have students in tears all over the country.  The Ohio legislature unsuccessfully tried to repeal Common Core standards out right last year, and Governor Kasich’s support of the standards remains a major obstacle to reforms, but it’s commendable that these lawmakers are willing to stand on principle and fight to return local control to the classroom. Read more here... Josh Mandel Speaks on Common Core in Ohio- by Trey Grover Federal Court: NSA's Metadata Program Is Illegal  - by Logan Albright In an era of judicial activism and a lot of nonsense talk about “a living document,” it’s refreshing to see that there are still some Courts interested in upholding the Constitution and defending the freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights. A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a unanimous ruling, clarifying that the NSA’s bulk collection of telephone metadata is not currently authorized by existing law. While failing to specifically address the constitutionality of the metadata program, the Court’s ruling sends a clear message that bulk, warrantless spying on millions of Americans is a serious issue that deserves increased scrutiny. Intelligence agencies cannot, in fact, just do whatever they want under a veil of secrecy. These programs need to be seriously examined and their constitutionality brought into question. Read more here... Are ACA Exchanges Breaking the Law Just to Keep Afloat?  - by Nate Russell The 16 states with ObamaCare exchanges have each had access to hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money from the federal government to help establish a successful marketplace. And yet, many are finding themselves struggling with high deficits and low enrollment. This has led the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue a warning that states may be using the federal grant money illegally. Section 1311 of the Affordable Care Act not only requires state exchanges to be financially self-sustaining this year, but it also prohibits states from covering any operational expenses with the federal grant money. But since states are facing such dismal financial conditions, the Inspector General suspects that some states have no other alternatives to keep their exchanges afloat. Read more here... Book Release Party for Senator Mike Lee of Utah - by Daisy Belden On Tuesday, May 5th, FreedomWorks and Tea Party Patriots hosted a party to celebrate the release of Senator Mike Lee of Utah’s new book, Our Lost Constitution: The Willful Subversion of America's Founding Document." C-SPAN Book TV filmed an interview conducted by FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe with the Senator on matters discussed in his book, and afterwards, Senator Mike Lee signed copies of his new book for guests. See more here... Hillary Clinton to Desecrate the First Amendment - by Ted Abram Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Hillary Clinton to Desecrate the First Amendment In a campaign tour of Iowa, Hillary Clinton said, “We need to fix our dysfunctional political system and get unaccountable money out of it once and for all, even if that takes a constitutional amendment.” Mrs. Clinton is repeating the “progressive” mantra to reverse the Citizens United case, which found a 2002 Federal law unconstitutional. Former Federal Election Commissioner (FEC), Donald F. McGahn II, explains in the Wall Street Journal: Read more here... Montana Governor signs legislation to protect innocent property owners from government overreach - by Jason Pye On April 25, FreedomWorks joined the republicans of North Carolina's 13th Congressional District at their District Convention held at the Hephzibah Baptist Church in Wendell, NC. FreedomWorks activist Garry Terry from Bertie County hosted a FreedomWorks information table. FreedomWorks Fellow, filmmaker, and radio and television host, Reverend C.L. Bryant was the special guest speaker and brought the room of over 250 delegates to their feet! On April 25, FreedomWorks joined the republicans of North Carolina's 4th Congressional District at their District Convention held at the North Carolina GOP Headquarters in Raleigh, N.C. FreedomWorks activist Roy Loflin from Orange County hosted a FreedomWorks information table. FreedomWorks Fellow, filmmaker, and radio and television host, Reverend C.L. Bryant was the special guest speaker and brought the room of over 75 delegates to their feet! Read more here... Did $1.8 Billion in Stimulus Funds Help Baltimore? - by Deneen Borelli President Obama wasted no time politicizing the Baltimore riots, telling the press that he’s “under no illusion that under this Congress we’re going to get massive investments in urban communities.” Of course by “this Congress,” he means a GOP-led Congress. However, Obama’s rhetoric doesn’t match reality. The Washington Free Beacon found that: The city of Baltimore received over $1.8 billion from President Barack Obama’s stimulus law, including $467.1 million to invest in education and $26.5 million for crime prevention. Read more here... Federal agents stole $16,000 from a kid on his way to Los Angeles to make a music video - by Jason Pye Joseph Rivers is a 22-year-old who has a dream of making a music video. With help from his supportive family, he persevered and saved, raising $16,000 in cash to leave his hometown in Michigan for Los Angeles to see his dream become reality. Rivers' dream came crashing down on April 15 when federal agents seized the $16,000 based on the mere suspicion that it was connected to drug activity. Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) boarded the Amtrak train in Albuquerque, New Mexico and began quizzing passengers about their travel. Believing he had nothing to hide, Rivers, an African-American, answered their questions and consented to a search. Agents found the cash and seized it. Rivers tried to tell the agents his story, but his words fell on deaf ears. Read more here... Tell Your Representative: Support the End Warrantless Surveillance of Americans Act - by Matt Kibbe As one of our more than 6.9 million FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to support the End Warrantless Surveillance of Americans Act, H.R. 2233. Introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY), this bill would take huge strides towards curtailing the government’s ability to access to Americans’ electronic communications without a warrant. The Fourth Amendment makes very clear that the government has an obligation to obtain a warrant before searching and seizing the property of American citizens – a basic part of the due process of law. Unfortunately, in the digital age the government has consistently treated digital communications and metadata as if they are different somehow – as if reading your emails or tracking your phone calls somehow falls under a different category than opening and reading your physical letters. Read more here... Sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update If you want an update like this newsletter twice a week, be sure to sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update! The Morning Update is your tool to keep up-to-date with all the threats to your freedom. Sign up here. Make freedom work, Iris Somberg Press Secretary, FreedomWorks